iRIG one small

Tried: Arrows iRIG one small
Rider: 7 year old 125cm, 25kg
Conditions: flat water, 5-10 knots
Board: JP young gun 110L with small cut down centre fin

Sam at Wind Surf 'N' Snow lent me the kids' inflatable iRIG one yesterday to demo. Thanks Sam.

It pumps up in about 10 pumps and is super light. No hard bits to hurt the sailor and nothing to ding the board.
My son pumped it up with a touch of help for the last few pumps, clip onto the board and it was ready to go.

The sail readily lifts out of the water using the handles on the mast. It is quicker to 'up haul' than a traditional sail as it floats above the water. The top handle positions the sail correctly and quickly due to the extremely low swing weight that prevents the sail from flapping about.

The 'boom' handles places the sail in a neutral sail position and there is surprisingly smooth acceleration. Going upwind was without problems and gusts are absorbed due to the inherent flex in the rig. He was leaning back in gusts with confidence and sailed for 45 minutes without coming in. He found it less tiring because there is less effort overall.

Gybing was easy but he found tacking a little difficult because there was so little swing weight in the sail.

Derigging was easy and quick, all packing into a small bag.

I think the size was equivalent to a 2m sail but it was as easy to handle as the 1-1.5m Ezzy sails that he currently uses.
The foot of the sail seems to generate very little drive which made the sail a bit top heavy but it was still easy to use.

My son had a great time and gave it the big thumbs up. A real confidence booster and I think it's a great first timer gear that will take the kids well into the intermediate level.

That is great news....I love the fact you can't damage anything or body while learning also....Very cool

ok - these must be the same people who made the iDo which is supposed to help beginners - looked great - no uphauling, etc, but was over $200 for a gizmo

finally found a website with a price for the iRig

www.surffx.com.au/product/north-irig/

starts @ $619 and the large is $779 !!!

as we say here, no candu

I guess the cost issue is something for each individual to decide.

I was curious about the product because it looked so weird and doubted it could go up wind at all. I thought it wouldn't even propel a board with the flex in the rig. My observation was that the flex helped soften gusts and allowed the rig to spill wind.

I already have the Ezzy 1-1.5 kit which was more than $450. We are at the stage where a bigger rig is needed soon. In hindsight, if I was getting my 7 and 10 year old kids into windsurfing now, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase this kit due to the ease of use and 'friendliness' of the product for the kids.

Out of curiosity, I took my son out again yesterday under identical conditions to see how he went with the 1.5m Ezzy sail. He did well but I think he went upwind better with the inflatable and most importantly, he had more fun with the iRIG. He now wants to go windsurfing at the next opportunity. That's a first with my kids. I can't put a price to that.

I wholeheartedly agree that we need to be mindful where our hard earned cash goes.

This is the reason for writing this review so that people consider this rig as an option if they were in a position to buy entry level kids' gear. It's a costly investment, especially if the kids decide not to continue with the sport. After all, this sort of equipment is generally not available to try.

I am fortunate enough to live in a place where kids can sail most of the year and they have sailed about 7 times in the past few months. I expect to sail with the kids a lot more with the school holidays about to commence. Any gear that makes sailing ultra simple and thoroughly enjoyable for the user increases the value. No point buying bad gear that makes sailing difficult since we all know that kids won't continue unless it's a blast.

I normally sup when my kids sail but yesterday, for the first time, we sailed alongside one other. What a hoot for both of us! How many parents of a 7year old have sailed with their kid, sharing a developing passion.

If you are in a market to buy kids' sail, hopefully you can look back at this unsolicited review when a second hand one becomes available in order to help make a decision.

sorry - did NOT mean to deter from the usefulness of the iRig by talking dollars and sense
it's just that if it was half that price, for me it would be a NO BRAINER
i am quite OFTEN unable to purchase new and feel like i need to wait for left-overs from the rich
there is banter on SB forum even now how Starboard are pricing themselves out of the market
few of us can afford $3000 boards - especially if one has three(3) or more
ENJOY YOUR iRigs !! please
and yes , i will watch for the used market ...

back @ ya
chilling

It comes with a base
Perhaps wss will take a photo and post?

Thanks for the photos!
I think I'll give it a go, it looks ideal for a newbie